Only Knicks Could Get This Luck

Going into the NBA Draft Lottery, you, as a Knicks fan, would like to think there's a little bit of hope. There's a small glimmer of opportunity. You're hoping and praying that the Knicks will end up with the top overall pick, something they haven't had since they drafted Patrick Ewing in 1985. Where the Knicks ended up with their pick caused initial anger, but there's no real reason for it. Everything is going to be fine Knicks fans.

Thanks to losing a season high 66 games, the Minnesota Timberwolves landed to first overall pick, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, then the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks at fourth and the Orlando Magic rounding out the top five. What makes this a bitter pill for the Knicks to swallow is that they had a slightly worse record this season than the Lakers. New York finished 17-65, while the Lakers finished 21-61. How does that happen? Simple the Knicks did it to themselves. Normally, seventeen wins would get you a top overall pick. That what the Knicks managed in their worst season in franchise history. But two things happened. One was that the Timberwolves were worse, finishing the season with only sixteen wins. Two was that the Knicks won three out of five games near the end of the season, including the only time all year they won two straight road games. One of those was in Atlanta, which was a tough thing to do. But alas its all for nothing as it lands them the 4th overall pick in the draft next month.

Lets face facts the Knicks shot themselves in the foot. Yes their is a little bit of luck that is involved in getting the top pick in the draft, but when you have the worst season in franchise history, you would think that it would be at least a top two pick. Nope that didn't happen. I highly doubt that anybody playing in the NBA whether it be a player on the Knicks, the T-Wolves or the best team in the league in the Golden State Warriors wants to lose a game. Everybody playing in the league wants a chance to win. The Knicks players did that at the end of the season. Did it cost them a top two pick? It might have yes. There's no guarantee of that, but the odds would have been a little better in the Knicks favor. It kind of seemed fitting that the Knicks fall to fourth in the Draft. It was a bit of a surprise that the Lakers, a 21 win basketball team, grabbed the two pick ahead of the Knicks. But the Kicks did it to themselves. They got lucky that Atlanta decided not to show up at the end of the season, when the Hawks had the top seed in the East locked up. So with everything that has happened for the Knicks this season, it seems only fitting that this happens to them right now. But there may be a glimmer of hope for the Knicks. Not a lot of one, but there is a small glimmer.

Lets take a look at what we're dealing with here shall we. The guys who are projected to go in the top four, according to experts, are as follows. Karl Anthony-Towns (Kentucky), Jahlil Okafor (Duke), D’Angelo Russell (Ohio State) and Emmanuel Mudiay (China). Lets face facts the Knicks won't get either Anthony-Towns or Okafor, both will be gone to either the Lakers or Timberwolves. They have an outside chance of getting Russell from Ohio State but in all likelyhood Mudiay could be the man for the Knicks at four. There is another option for the Knicks though. They could possibly trade the pick for a package of players. At the end of the day, it would be smarter for the Knicks to keep the pick. It COULD help the team build with a cornerstone player.

With the way things have gone for the Knicks lately, it wouldn't surprise me if they find a way to screw this up too. Now all Knicks fans have are a hope and a prayer that their front office doesn’t do something absolutely stupid and ruin it. As things look right now, don't count on the Knicks improving. Only the Knicks could have things fall the way they have.